Dean Barbee joined the law school in July 2020. As Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, she is responsible for the planning, management, and implementation of orientation, graduation, wellness initiatives, and other law school related programming. Dean Barbee also oversees all student organizations, works closely with the University’s Office of Student Disability Services to provide accommodations to law students with disabilities, and meets one-on-one with students to discuss and assist with student needs. She currently serves as Faculty Advisor to a number of student organizations, including the Honor Council. She also is a member of the University’s Wellbeing and Mental Health Task Force.
Dean Barbee was approved in 2021 to be a member of the law school Adjunct Faculty and teach two selected legal topics courses: The School-To-Prison Pipeline and The Right to Education.
Before joining the law school administration, she completed a two-year fellowship with the Southern Poverty Law Center in the Children’s Rights Division in Montgomery, Alabama. During her time there, she focused on education equity, school discipline, and the school-to-prison pipeline. She served as counsel to a number of students in the public school system facing expulsion, educated community members on students’ rights in the school setting, advocated for policy changes, and assisted in publishing Alabama Charter Schools: Principles for Ensuring Equity and Access.
Dean Barbee is a member of the Alabama Bar Association and the Mississippi Bar Association.
Dean Barbee earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Centenary College of Louisiana and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law, where she was incredibly active as a student both within and outside of the law school. She considers it a joy and privilege to be back at her alma mater serving in this current role.
